Williamsburg Pediatrician Sues Ex-partner

May 16, 1992

WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg pediatrician who admitted last year that he illegally obtained prescription painkillers for himself has filed a breach of contract suit against a doctor with whom he shared a practice.

Lewis H. Curd Jr., partner in a medical practice with Maurice E. Graham on 1162 Professional Drive, is seeking an unspecified sum in damages because Graham shut him out of the practice without his consent, according to the lawsuit.

Curd stopped practicing last June to seek treatment for an ``illness,'' according to the lawsuit filed May 12. He and Graham had an agreement that should either of them become ill, they were to be paid their regular salary and share of the profits.

When Curd became ill, the lawsuit states, he withdrew from the practice but said he would return. Accordingly, he was paid a salary until September 1991. In September, after he received a total of $30,000, the payments stopped. The money was considered a buyout of his share of the practice, the lawsuit states.

Graham changed the locks on the building and incorporated himself under a different name. He has refused to permit Curd to practice with him and he discontinued Curd's medical and malpractice insurance without notifying Curd, according to the lawsuit.

In addition to financial compensation, Curd is seeking an injunction against Graham from selling or disposing of any of the assets of the partnership.